Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness....Margaret Millar

Thursday, 17 March 2011

An A to Z of eCRM - A

A is for Ancient Greeks

Not often you read the words Ancient Greeks when in conversation about eCRM, and in particular my old friend Aristotle .

Of course the Ancient Greeks were great debaters and held their famous ‘Symposium’. Aristotle talked about the Art of Persuasion and he boiled success down to 3 factors

Ethos - before you can convince an audience, they have to accept you as credible and as a result will think you are telling the truth. My take from this is that as a brand, we need to ensure that we don’t pretend to be something that we’re not. Trust is the cornerstone of eCRM. Once abused it is rarely given again

Pathos - the quality of a persuasive argument that appeals emotionally. Sometimes, the heart rules the head. I didn’t buy the Alfa Romeo because of the warranty! No matter what many people say, customers still talk Brands.

Logos - does it make sense to me as potential customer, how logical is my argument and my proposition...does it make sense that you are sending me an offer on the latest offer on a Maldives holiday when logic tells you that I am an Center Parcs kind of guy?

Even Plato talked about how that in any successful conversation you remember and use the other person’s name. Personalisation ring a bell?

Ok, so Cicero wasn’t technically Greek, but he is Ancient. Cicero says that ‘if you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel my feelings, and speak my words.’ Sounds very much like Relevancy and Engagement to me

This is of course as true today with any form of modern marketing communication as it was in the 4th Century BC